Pentium M on your Socket 478 platform

CT-479: A Closer Look

Above you can see the retail package that contains the adapter, CPU cooler, and directions.

To use the CT-479, consumers must first flash their motherboard’s BIOS to ensure compatibility. As ASUS refines their motherboard BIOS’ to support of this adapter, more ASUS (and maybe other brands) socket 478 motherboards will support this kit. Right now the ASUS P4P800 SE and P4P800-VM are the only motherboards that are supported. The ASUS PC4800E will be the next motherboard to work with the CT-479, and eventually most, if not all, ASUS i865/i875 boards should be supported.

As you can see from the above chart the ASUS CT-479 adapter offers some memory and graphics bandwidth improvements. Hopefully enthusiasts and overclockers will also see a performance jump, but I’m sure they just want to see boards that just have voltages that allow them to overclock Pentium M processors without having to make volt mods for everything. For those of you who are interested in Pentium M overclocking we do have a small thread in the Legit Forums on our overclocking attempts on the Intel 755 and Intel 770 processors.

I hope you enjoyed our brief look at the upcoming ASUS CT-479 “CPU Upgrade Kit” that should be out in a matter of weeks. In other Pentium M news DigiTimes is reporting that Intel plans deep cuts in the prices of its Pentium M line on July 24, in response to the launch of AMD’s competing Turion 64 processor. This means that the Pentium M 755, for example, would drop from $423 to $294. Great news for consumers and companies like ASUS who are hoping for increased Pentium M sales.

In closing let me leave you with some performance numbers I just ran on the Intel Pentium M 755/770 processor and the DFI 855GME-MGF motherboard. I’m sure not everyone is aware of how a little 2GHz Dothan stacks up to other leading desktop processors.

I can’t wait to see what the Pentium M can do on i865/i875 chipsets and hopefully with voltage options unlike anything seen before, because that is what overclockers and gamers want. Big props goes out to ASUS for giving consumers what they need and want. Silent computing for corporate users and more powerful computing for gamers and overclockers! Think of the advantages offered! Lowered energy consumption, low heat generation, low noise generation and more power! Expect a full review in upcoming weeks and feel free to post your thoughts in our forums via the link below!